General Sir Richard Venables
A Loyal Son of the Empire Richard Joseph Anthony Venables was born on the 15th of August, 1700 to parents Sir William Venables, and Lady Elizabeth Marie Du'Casse in the family home at 234 Castle Road, Edinbourgh. His Family heritage was a diverse one, his father was of an old scottish family which could trace it roots back to Robert the Bruce, and owned great estates in Argyll and Perthshire. Whilst his mother was of French birth, and was the only child of the Marquis Du'Casse, so that when he died Richard became the Marquis Du'Casse. The Du'Casse family owned a large estate in Normandy, and where distant relatives to the Bourbon Monarchy. As a young boy growing up in Scotland on the family estate he often went out with his father hunting, fishing and attending social events in Edinbourgh, his mother often took him to the opera, ballet and taught him to play the violin and to speak French, Latin and Greek as well as teaching young Richard manners and etiquette. At the Age of 11 he was sent to Edinbourgh University were he studied law, but he wanted something more and using his fathers accounts he enrolled into Astronomy, which would come in handy in the future! At the age of 11 he passed his examinations and went on to become an Ensign, he joined the Kings 74th Regiment of foot in 1711 and was posted to the caribbean. Then on the 16 of May 1716, a force of 1283 British Troops of the EITC 74th Regiment of foot and the 38th Regiment of the EITC Marines Attacked Jolly Rogers Evil Minions on the Island of Ravens Cove, Venables was in the first landing party and charged forward into the fray where he received a Scar on his left cheek. He kept fighting though recovering a great amount of El Patrons Cursed weapons and taking one of the cursed sabres as a trophy. but he was deeply horrified when he recieved orders to attack the Undead troops in the Town as there were still civilians in the buildings. It Is said by his Private Sharkhayes that he cried in anguish as the buildings burnt around him killing all the People in them, Though Venables did two amazing things at the Battle, He saved his commanding officer Colonal Lord Jack Harkness. After the Battle Sir Harkness in Appreciation of the rescue promoted Venables to be a Lieutenant of the 74th's Light Company. Captaincy Venables eventually recieved a captaincy in the 21st Royal Marines Regiment, and was posted along with Colonel J.F. Lawford to the Caribbean once more, where he saw active service on board HMS Alexander. During this time he met his second wife Lady Sarah Hall, who he married and who died three years later from yellow fever, which Venables himself caught and barely survived. After he recovered from his fever, Venables returned to England and travelled to his French estates for a time, also buying a commission as a Major in the French Army, he joined one of the Grenadier companies of a Normandy Regiment and spent several months in garrison duty, before being given indefinate leave to return to England. Enterperneur Venables returned to England, in 1720 and bought the delapidated Edrington Estate in Yorkshire from the Edrington Family, who where in all ways, bankrupt. The estate came with many coalmines dotted around the landscape and Venables quickly set about building these into a thriving mining community, with a new village springing up from nothing due to the amount of new and excited workers who came from York to find employment. The main coal mine he opened was a large pit known as "The Great Pit" due to the fact it was the largest pit ever opened at that time! He also recieved a his promotion to Colonel in the British Army, being given command of the 74th, the first regiment he'd ever served in. He did a large amount of garrison duty in various parts of Scotland, before being posted out to India with Sir Matthew Feye. French Army Service Completion Venables returned to France after his brief posting in India, and was made a Colonel in charge of a Swiss Regiment of Troops, it was during this time that Venables was made Duc De Jura and gifted a small estate in the Jura Province of Switzerland. He served faithfully in the French army for two years until he resigned his commission and began to work on his estate in Normandy, establishing himself as something of a hero to the local peasants and bourgeois due to the fact he employed a great many workers to man his flour and grain mills, as well as his stables and the large textile mill he opened in late March of that year. He left his cousin, the Marquis De Moronti in charge of the estate until he returned. EITC Lieutenant General in the British Province of Bombay. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in the British Army and was posted to Calcutta and after three months on the death of the previous Lt. General. He Was given the Posting of Governor of the Bombay Territories and was based in Calcutta. Taking Eastern Majharga The British had one small problem, the independent state of Eastern Majharga which was ruled by King Juanacoulate' Panga. Who hated the British with a passion. The EITC board of Directors ordered Venables to take the 33rd and 74th regiments and try to capture the state, they meet the Majhargain Armies at the Battle of The Blood River twenty miles east of Calcutta. The Battle Raged On till the early hours of the next day. when the British received reinforcements from Bengal. The British Captured the state of Majharga and forced the Mahrajja to sign a Treaty which implied that if he ever tried to sieze power he would be de-throwned by the East India Trading Companies Armies. The Siege of Mashatta In 1736 The British Army and the East India Companies Armies under the Command of Richard Venables and Richard Luther, laid siege to the Mahratta City of Mashatta, After the Mashattains Attacked a British Cavavan. They were there for six months and then finally the Mashattains surrendered to the Crown Forces. The Black Hole of Calcutta I n 1737 Lt General Richard Venables,Major General Richard Luther, and Colour Sargeant Nickolai Sharkhayes, Were Captured at the Battle of Fort William, They Surrendered and were Placed into a Small 10x10 meter room with no insolation whatsoever. They were some of the few survivors. 74th Commander in Chief Venables was made the Colonel-in-Chief of the 74th Regiment of Foot therefore he placed his best friend and Aide De Campe Major General Richard Luther in command of the Regiment under Venables. Mission to Ceylon The British 95th Regiments Light Company was ordered to sail to Ceylon where British Convicts had escaped from a colony and taken over the Town and surrounding areas. The British Army was sent to Disarm the Traitors and help the Garrison recapture the town, While Lieutenant General Richard Venables was in no mind to help the militia he could not go against an order from the Prime Minister. So his battalion of the 95th Including the Light Company sailed to the rebellious territory and marched his troops upon the township, where he found sepoys and convicts drunk in the streets, Venables immediatly Hung the Rebels and had the Sepoys Shot. Venables had restored relative peace to Bengal and had secured the Companies grip on India for now, British Troops had been sent to rienforce the Current Regiments of EITC troops. Venables also had been made the Commander in Chief of the British Colonial Forces in India. HMS Demigod Venables was sent to the British Colony of Malay to negotiate peace between the Mahratta Leader and the British Consule, They sailed to Malay on HMS Demigod a 74 gun ship of the line in the service of the EITC. The Malay Straights were Famous though for the Pirates that stalked the Merchant ships of Europe and on the fourth day of the voyage HMS Demigod was attacked by a Large ex Indiaman that had been captured by Malay Pirates and been converted into a frigate of sorts. The British Fought with every bit of strenth they could muster but the Pirates Boarded the Ship! and then something happened the 95st Light Company led by Venables charged up the gangway from where they had been helping the gun crews and counter-attacked the Pirates who were taken by suprise and withdrew! but the First broadside of the Pirates cannons had damaged the Demigod and so she had begun to sink, the pirates seeing that the ship was worthless left and the British were forced to take to the boats the Captain of the Demigod going down with his ship. Venables and the 95st rowed to the nearest port in Malay and reported what happened to the Warship, no one believed them a 74 gun ship of the line against a Indiaman? impossible! but yet it had happened! The British Deployed a squadron of Frigates to patrol the area but merchant shipping kept on disappearing and so Venables decided enough was enough and ordered that the HMS Archangel a 96 gun man of war be posted to Malay! a week later the pirates whose ship was called the Merchant of Venice were defeated. Service as Governor-General of India In 1748 Major General Sir Richard Venables was made Governor-General of India, and began to reform British India into a properous group of colonies, returning regulary to Britain to pass reforms such as the India Act of 1749, the Sepoy Recruitment Act of 1750 and the East India Company Reform Act of 1753, as well as establishing many new frontier forts and garrisons in the remote areas of India and along many of the major trade roads through India, he established Calcutta as the capital of East India Co. power and granted many Maharajas, alliances and treaties with the British to keep the peace, though he failed to maintain peace on the Bengal-Nepal border. Second Marraige Richard married Lady Hannah Bluefeather, the grandaughter of Lord Johnathan Goldtimbers in 1749 in St. Pauls cathedral, their wedding was a grand affair with a large coach pulled by several horses, and a military escort consisting of the 74th, 95th Regiments and the 21st Royal Marine Regiment as well as the EITC Dragoons. Many dignitaries were guests such as Sir Tyler Wellington, Sir Joseph Grey, General William Brawlmartin, Lord Jason Blademorgan, and Lord Johnathan Goldtimbers. They honeymooned in France on Venables' French estate, then returned to India so that Venables could continue his service as Governor-General. Portraits of Venables John_Pitcairn.jpg|Captain Richard Venables, 1726 Lord_Ligonier_1770.jpg|Colonel Richard Venables, 1738 To Be Continued... Category:Royal British Military Category:EITC Category:Royal Marines Category:Parliament Members Category:POTCO